1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable electronic apparatus such as a lap-top type computer or a word processor, and more particularly, the portable electronic apparatus having a battery functioning as a drive power source in a base unit of the apparatus, the structure for attaching a contact terminal electrically contacting the battery to the base unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been widely used a lap-top type portable computer having a keyboard and a flat panel type display unit.
This type of portable electronic apparatus comprises a base unit having a keyboard, and a display unit supported by the base unit. The display unit is rotatably attached to the base unit to rotate between a closed position where the keyboard is covered and an open position where the keyboard is exposed when the keyboard is operated. Due to this, conventionally, a leg portion is formed in the display unit, and a leg mounting portion to enter the leg portion is formed in the base unit. Then, the leg portion is rotatably connected to the leg mounting portion by a hinge.
In the conventional apparatus, there is wired a cable for electrically connecting the base unit and the display unit to each other. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/542,061 filed June 22, 1990 discloses an apparatus wherein a cable is guided through the inside of the hinge connecting the base unit and the display unit. In the one end and the other end of the cable, there are connectors electrically connected to the base unit and the display unit.
Moreover, in the above apparatus, there is used the structure using a battery, which is incorporated into the base unit, as the drive power source. This battery must, be detached from the base unit when being charged. For this reason, in the above conventional apparatus, there is formed a receiving recess for receiving the battery in the rear portion of the base unit. Also, in the receiving recess, there is arranged a contact terminal contacting the positive and negative terminals of the battery.
In recent years, the entire body of the apparatus including the base unit has been miniaturized in order to improve the portability of the apparatus. In the apparatus wherein the receiving recess and the leg mounting portion are formed on the base unit whose size is limited, as the miniaturization of the apparatus is improved, there is established a positional relationship in which the receiving recess and the leg mounting portion are positioned to be adjacent to each other.
In this case, if the contact terminal of the receiving recess is positioned at the end surface adjacent to the leg mounting portion of the receiving recess, there must be surely formed a space for positioning the contact terminal in a narrow portion between the receiving recess and the leg mounting portion. Moreover, in the base unit, there must be formed a support section for supporting the contact terminal in a narrow portion between the receiving recess and the leg mounting portion. For this reason, difficulty in arranging the parts in the base unit often occurs and the miniaturization of the base unit is limited.
Since the hinge portion must be also miniaturized together with the miniaturization of the base unit, a passage through which the cable passes, becomes increasingly narrow. Therefore, the working ability of wiring the cable becomes difficult, due to passing the cable through the narrow passage.